Big Island Sunsets | Blue Hour Well, in reality, blue hour usually only lasts about 20 minutes. During the blue hour the sky has a deep blue hue with saturated colors. It’s the time after sunset (just after golden hour) before total darkness when lighted colors really stand out, yet the background is still visible. The different shades of the sky and color saturation make it a great for landscape and seascape photography. To see the entire story with all seven images, go toBig Island Sunsets | a 7 Image Story.

Big Island Sunsets | Distant Maui This image looks toward Maui taken from the northwestern shore of the Big Island. Look closely and you’ll see Maui’s volcano, Haleakalā, (“house of the sun”) rising above the clouds at 10,023 feet. It’s a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of Maui. To see the entire story with all seven images, go toBig Island Sunsets | a 7 Image Story.

Big Island Sunsets | Rocky Tree Walking along the shoreline path just before sunset, it’s easy to see the rugged nature of the shore. After dark without any moonlight, the walk gets more difficult. A red miner’s light would be helpful. Time to think about long exposures. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Big Island Sunsets | a 7 Image Story.

Big Island Sunsets | a 7 Image Story As much as winter snow looks so beautiful, warm beaches feel better to most people. The Big Island, Hawaii, has plenty of warm ( 80º+F) beaches, particularly along the Kona Coast. The Kona Coast, the western coast of Hawaii, is also considered the sunny side of the island. The beaches may be white or black sand, aligned along the coastline, between jagged lava rock flows. These sunset images were captured along a northwestern shoreline path; pointing northwest toward Maui. Maui appears in the background of each image. Look closely; you may see Maui’s volcano, Haleakalā, (“house of the sun”) rising above the clouds, just over 10,000 feet.

While looking for nice light, my nightly walkabouts tended to begin or end along this path. The path follows the shoreline through sand, trees, lava rock, and beach. Sometimes, the beach consists of sand and small lava rocks; not so easy on bare feet. When walking along the shoreline path just before sunset, it’s easy to see the rugged nature of the shore. Capturing decent images can be treacherous when stepping into the water on slippery rocks or walking back after dark. After dark without any moonlight, the walk gets difficult. The time just before total darkness has become one of my favorite times to capture sunsets. Time to think about long exposures. Although a tripod can also second as a walking stick, sometimes photography should be like scuba diving, where you always have a buddy. Photographers not only seek the next beautiful image; they also relish the experience of capturing that image.

Another 80˚ Day @ Tucson Thank warm! When it’s so cold in the north, think about warmers places and warmer times ahead. The weather was mostly clear and around 80° F when this image was captured in the desert near Tucson. .

7 Image Story | Where’s the Pug’s Turkey? Finally, it’s time for turkey. The table is set and the food is hot. I’ll call the people into the dining room while the Huskies are outside. See7 Image Story | Thanksgiving with Nick the Pug for the entire story.